Tefric laughed, returning to his work.
***
As predicted, the next morning brought a flat calm. The sails hung listlessly, swinging with the ship's motion. They creased and snapped, booming like thunder, as the ship rolled in the gentle swell. Clad only in short breeches, Neptarik looked about and saw most of the crew wore less than usual. All ready for their swim. Raldtu and Naltor were at the masthead, looking carefully for ruffles on the sea, or any hint of wind. The ship's sylph grinned smugly when they reported no signs, but she said nothing.
"We must check," Tefric explained to Neptarik. "It's rare for the ship to be wrong, but her sylph is sometimes willful. If she's decided she wants a swim, then she wants a swim. A pity she's not so eager to get wet when soap is added to the equation." He sighed and nodded to Captain Liffen.
"All right." Liffen, also dressed for swimming, addressed the crew. "Hands to bathe."
With delighted yells, men poured across the bulwark, jumping or diving into the sea, the more timid clambering down the nets slung over the side of the ship. Neptarik watched them, until Cloudy prodded him.
"Well?" she demanded.
They jumped from the bulwark, barely making a splash as they entered the water. Cloudy swam around the male sylph, surface diving before immediately reappearing.
The water was so warm, Neptarik could barely believe it had not been heated over a fire first.
"Can you hold your breath?" asked Cloudy.
"Of course," he replied.
"Want to swim under the ship?"
"All right."
"Follow me."
Eyes open, he dived after the ship's sylph. Sunlight dappled down here, the swell breaking light into shafts that twinkled and contorted like flames. Blue turned to black below and only silver light showed the way back to air. Except where the ship, hulking on the surface, blocked out the sun.
Cloudy kicked her legs and moved away slowly, heading beneath the ship. When the hull was directly above, where the water felt cooler, the ship's sylph turned to face him and allowed herself to float up, until her head rested against the ship's keel. Neptarik followed, amazed at the cleanliness of the ship's bottom, before he remembered she had only just come out of refit.
She smiled at the scout and held out her hands to him. He clasped her hands and she moved forward, hugging him, rubbing her nose and earpoints against his. As he broke away, eyes wary, she grinned and poked out her tongue, an endearingly impish gesture. He grinned back before moving closer and took her head in his hands. It was her turn to break away and she pointed up, between the keel and bilge keel. It looked nice and private there, well away from anyone else who might like diving...
***
"They've been under some time," said Tahena.
The Sailing Master shrugged. "Sylphs can hold their breath a lot longer than us. They'll be fine."
Tefric was not swimming because he still hoped for wind. Those on watch weren't swimming either, but probably hoped they would get time when the watch changed. Tahena wasn't swimming because she feared deep water and knew the sea bottom lay milas beneath the ship.
Despite Tefric's words, she worried that the two sylphs had been out of sight for some time and kept crossing the deck, to see if they had resurfaced. She saw nothing of them: no silvery gray hair, no blue skinned limbs...
She watched Kelanus swim around the ship, and asked after the sylphs.
"Nothing," he called back, from the water.
Both sylphs shot up from the depths, Cloudy breaking surface first. She wore fear like a mask as she scrambled out of the water, yelling for Tefric.
"Call them back!" she shouted. "Call them back!"
"What's wrong?" asked Tahena, but Tefric ignored her as he lifted a speaking trumpet to his lips.
"Everyone back aboard!" he shouted, the trumpet magnifying his words. "Back aboard!"
"Get some raw meat!" Cloudy touched the nearest man. "Hurry!" She turned, still frightened, watching the furthest man out, her small hands balling into fists as she urged him on in her mind.
"What's wrong?" demanded Tahena.
The scout shrugged. He wondered why Cloudy had so suddenly broken away. One moment they were together like old friends, the next she flashed out of sight like a demon chased her. For a moment he had feared he might be to blame.
"Where is that meat?" shrieked Cloudy. "Come on Kylas, come on!"
Men streamed out of the sea and scrambled easily up the nets onto the deck. The quicker ones turned to help those behind. The men furthest away increased their pace, perhaps aware of what was wrong.
Cloudy snatched the lump of meat from Kylas as he returned and hefted it, waiting. The last men neared the net now, so the sylph flung the meat as far as she could. Everyone gasped as it disappeared in a swirl of water.
Neptarik glimpsed a fin, one cold eye and rows of terrible teeth. The last two men scrambled up the net, safe.
Kelanus, dripping water onto the deck, turned to the sylph. "How did you know? What was that?"
Cloudy managed a grin and some color returned to her face. "That was a shark. A hungry one. The ship senses them when they come near. Sometimes they are close and come to investigate, but they are usually far away. At least everyone is safe." She sniffed. "Someone may have a cut. Blood in the water draws them."
"Now we know it is too dangerous for swimming," Tefric remarked with a grin, "perhaps we should out oars."
"No," insisted Cloudy. "If we are becalmed further south, we risk getting dragged into The Race."
"Race?" echoed Neptarik. "Are there prizes?"
Ship sylph and Sailing Master humored him with a smile.
"The Race," said Cloudy, emphasizing the words, "is where the tide rips between the two continents. Ships trapped in that never return."
Neptarik's eyes widened. "They sink?"
"Sometimes wrecked, sometimes sink; but none return. The Race is too strong and too fast to sail against."
"Don't let her frighten you," interrupted Tefric. "We are way too far north to get trapped in The Race. Oars sound good to me."
The ship's sylph scowled. "We are days ahead of schedule and the crew deserves a rest," she retorted. "Today we shall have dancing and merry making. And there is still work to do on my costume."
"Costume?" echoed Neptarik.
The other sylph grinned. "A secret," she said, mysteriously. "Everyone will see it in good time." With that, she went below.
"Everyone has seen it," muttered Tefric. "Bits of it anyway."
"What do you mean?" Tahena and Neptarik looked at the Sailing Master.
"She thinks I haven't noticed some of the signal flags have had certain colors cut out of them. And one of the spare masthead streamers has disappeared."
Tahena smiled. "You let her cut up signal flags for a costume?"
"Oh, she didn't ask. We won't need 'em again until we're back up north, and she'll have repaired the flags by then."
Tahena rounded on Neptarik. "What were you two doing down there?" she demanded. "You can't chat underwater."
The sylph grinned. "We were not chatting."
At her side, Kelanus chuckled. "When we return to Marka, I promise you that I'll try and find a wife for him."
The southern woman shook her head in disbelief. "I didn't know they went for infertiles," she muttered. "You must get him married."
The sylph scowled and tapped the name badge on his collar. His fingers ran gently across the engraving there. "Nep-ta-rik-y-Bal-nus," he enunciated slowly. "No Ta-he-na and no Ke-lan-us."
Tahena stared at his back as he retreated below to get dressed.
"It probably depends on the infertile," said Kelanus. "And the feelings of the sylph concerned. At least we know he's getting better."
***
Watched by Tahena, Kelanus scowled at the small portraits of Ranallic. His bags were already packed and he sat on the deck in the cabin. Land had been sighted the evening before and shouts drifted from the upper dec
k as the pilot came aboard for the final stage into Hejiller itself. Neptarik was somewhere above shadowing Cloudy, a habit he had developed since whatever the ship told him had snapped him out of his depression. Or perhaps he enjoyed another spectacular southern sunrise, before the day grew too hot and smothered everything in haze.
"I wonder if anyone will recognize him," he mused aloud, gaze locked on the portraits.
"Who?"
"Ranallic. He must have changed since leaving Hejiller. Older for one thing. Perhaps he still has friends or family here."
"People might recognize the name. And this mysterious ship's sylph without a ship is supposed to be able to help us."
"Ah yes, her. If it is a her, you never know in foreign parts." He smiled. "Sandev speaks in riddles; seems to be a failing of everyone with Siranva's Gift."
"It only means a ship's sylph has outlived the wooden part of the ship." Her dark, slanted eyes flashed with irritation. "There are bound to be a few dotted about. And ship sylphs are as likely to be shes here as further north. Cloudy would have said if things were that different."
"Do we ask all of them?" Kelanus sighed. "I wish Sandev had been a little more specific in her instructions."
"She might not have known any more than she passed on." Tahena quickly defended her former tutor. "It can't be easy seeing many outcomes and not knowing which information is good until something else happens to make the path ahead clearer."
He laughed. "You make nothing clearer," he rumbled.
"Sandev does nothing without reason. If she thought you needed to know a thing, she would have told you. The problem with Seeing is that there are so many different things that can affect a potential future. She has either Seen the most probable outcome, in which case there is no need to tell you more, or there are several possible results, when informing you of them all would only create confusion."
Kelanus stared at Tahena. "I understood what you said that time. I think." He pulled a face.
"All I'll say is this: there must be something more to Ranallic than just the obvious. We will discover something about his past here; something to help us prove your innocence." Her eyes flashed.
Kelanus hid a smile of pleasure. "I'm sure you are right. Now, where's that damned sylph?"
"Leave Neptarik be. He's out of the way topside and he'll return when ready."
"So long as he remembers to carry his own bags." Kelanus clapped his hands together. "At last, I think we may be about to really do something."
"Yes," agreed Tahena. "Provided we find someone who remembers one man out of the tens of thousands who live in Hejiller."
Kelanus nodded. "We must find this sylph. How do ship sylphs without a ship pass their time? Do they become beggars? Or are they cared for by the former crew?"
Cloudy spoke from the doorway. "They usually wait until there is another ship to carry their name." As the two passengers turned to face her, she smiled. "Often the Sailing Master's family will take the sylph in, unless a new ship of the same name is built immediately." She sniffed and changed the subject. "I thought you might like to see Hejiller as we approach. We have just brought the pilot aboard."
Kelanus and Tahena exchanged a look.
Tahena responded. "We'd love to come and see," she replied.
Flying Cloud lived up to her name as she scudded toward the twin headlands. The wind came across her port quarter, although the ship's sylph told them that it would fail once they were in the harbor, sheltered by the headlands. The passengers stared at the watchtowers: one atop each headland and another at the base of the cliffs. A fifth stood in the center of the channel. Small boats swarmed around all three lower towers. In his blue uniform, the pilot hovered around the ship's wheel.
"They are ready to draw the boom across the channel." Cloudy informed her guests. She had no duties for the moment.
"Boom?" echoed Kelanus.
The sylph ignored him and waved to a man on the central watchtower, as he put a speaking trumpet to his lips.
"Always the last one, Flying Cloud!" he called across the water.
The sylph waved again and grinned as broadly as she could.
"The upper classes in Hejiller love my tea," she threw over her shoulder. "They always wait for me."
"Got the timing wrong one year, didn't you?" interrupted Tefric, from the wheel. "Shut out, weren't we?"
The ship's sylph scowled. "They learned, when we sold the tea in Gansbet instead."
Tefric laughed and even the pilot raised a smile.
Before the land stole their wind, orders were shouted and men lowered the yards to furl the sails. Others readied the oars. As before, the yards were hoisted again, to keep the decks clear. Neptarik joined Kelanus and Tahena as the harbor opened up. The wind faltered and finally dropped almost to nothing.
The crew went to their places for coming alongside, which meant the Master's Mate and Cloudy took the wheel between them.
"Out oars!" called First Mate Sedaro. "Give way together!"
Astern, small boats began to drag the boom across the harbor entrance.
"There will only be minimum soldiers in the watchtowers tonight," said Cloudy, "which is why they close the harbor. Once that boom is across, nobody comes in and nobody goes out."
"Lots of ships," remarked Kelanus, nodding towards the quays.
"Everyone will be in," explained the ship's sylph. "Some may go out tomorrow or the day after, if they have recovered." She giggled.
"I suppose you know all of them." Tahena nodded towards the forest of masts all but masking the city of Hejiller from view.
"The ships? Some of them. I am introduced to a few more every time we come here." Cloudy concentrated on her steering as the quays were nearer.
The passengers admired Hejiller, buildings gleaming like white hills in the glaring sun.
Kelanus watched the sylph at the wheel for a few moments. "Where can I get horses?" he asked.
She smiled. "I will show you tomorrow morning."
"I'd like to get some tonight."
"Tonight?" The sylph laughed and shook her head. "No chance."
***
The wide main street of Hejiller was a continuous crescendo of noise, color and smell. Group after group after group of musicians passed, all with drums, cymbals, flutes and trumpets. The beat thrummed inside everyone's chest until it seemed that all hearts must beat as one. Costumes dazzled; some wore very little, but what they did wear bristled brightly with color. Everyone danced: people and sylphs twirled with their arms in the air and shouted with glee. Despite the late hour, children thronged the crowd, for nobody went to bed during High Festival.
Kelanus and Tahena danced together, the southern woman remembering past festivals from her childhood. They saw familiar faces from the Flying Cloud's crew, but had long since lost contact with the ship's sylph and Neptarik, the pair having disappeared quite early on in a clutch of other ship sylphs. Tahena gritted her teeth when she realized that the other ship sylphs were more than just interested in Neptarik. They hadn't seen him for hours now.
"Never known anything like this Crozo," Kelanus shouted to Tahena. "Really adds to the atmosphere."
Tahena nodded. She had drunk more than her fair share of the stuff and was decidedly tipsy. Crozo and festivals were intended for each other. Rare to find trouble at Festivals and if it happened at all, usually came from outlanders. Flying Cloud's crew would no doubt be as well behaved here as in the other ports they had visited. Portmaster Repp had recommended a good ship and crew to them.
As a particularly loud band passed, Tahena shivered and wondered why tingles ran through her body. It had nothing to do with alcohol or good music. Her inner senses were speaking.
She looked around, but nothing seemed out of place, with colorful people dancing and merrymaking with the band. A handful of rather plainly dressed sylphs, who giggled and shouted happily, ran past. One infertile from the group hung back, glanced briefly at Tahena and stared at Kelanus.
; Did those silvery gray eyes hold fear? Tahena blinked as she saw only one earpoint worked properly; the one on the right looked to be permanently sagged. The sylph disappeared into the crowd, chasing after her companions. Tahena wondered what had happened and felt sorry for the anonymous infertile. Her attention returned to Kelanus, but images of the sylph with the damaged earpoint kept intruding.
"There are our two." Kelanus nodded to the side of the road, where Neptarik drank from a jar of Crozo. Cloudy leaned against him, waiting expectantly for her turn with the jar. The ship's sylph looked especially bright this night, wearing red, gold and orange cloth streamers over gold leggings and shirt. Made at least in part from missing streamers and bunting.
"Looks like they're enjoying themselves." Tahena was amused. Or perhaps relieved the two sylphs hadn't just disappeared.
Kelanus snorted with laughter. "At least we know where they are."
Tahena looked more closely at the two sylphs, particularly the way Cloudy touched her companion and how he responded. She could no longer doubt that they cared for each other and she sniffed. Neptarik might find himself in trouble with the Sailing Master, who was very protective of the ship's sylph.
The two sylphs looked up and Neptarik waved. Moments later, Kelanus and Tahena had joined them.
"Where are the others you ran off with?" asked Kelanus.
"We got separated," replied Cloudy, which did not fully explain the deep blue flush flooding her cheeks.
"We had things to talk about," added Neptarik, before his mouth clamped shut in typical sylph fashion.
"I bet you did." Tahena focused her attention on the male sylph. "Watch your step, or Tefric will want your hide."
Neptarik tossed his head and Cloudy's blush deepened. "Despite what you think, we have not been too forward with each other." The scout seemed affronted.
Tahena sniffed. "You've never turned a female down before," she retorted. "I'm surprised you've gone for an infer –"
"Tefric will leave him alone," interrupted Cloudy. "It is the ship who is really interested in knowing Neppy that way. We have not gone further than a kiss." The ship's sylph gave a broad lopsided smile, whether to placate Tahena or at a fond memory was unclear.
"Neppy?" A smile twitched the corners of Kelanus's mouth.
It was Neptarik's turn to blush.
"Well, enjoy yourselves," continued Kelanus, before dragging Tahena away.
"They're not lovers." Tahena seemed genuinely surprised. "I thought with him being cooped up on the ship for so long..."